ATDynamics to partner with Navistar in DOE-sponsored SuperTruck project

Thursday, February 11, 2010Prior to SuperTruck, innovations in trailer aerodynamics have typically been pursued in isolation from truck design.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – ATDynamics announced this week that it will partner with Navistar in a federally-funded U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SuperTruck project to provide expertise in next-generation trailer aerodynamics to supportthe project’s goal of increasing by 50 percent the freight efficiency of on-highway Class 8 trucks.

DOE awarded a total of $37.3 million for the project.

“We look forward to working with the Navistar Truck Group to bring together the most promising innovations from multiple technology areas,” said Andrew Smith, CEO of ATDynamics. “While the add-on devices we provide today deliver up to 12 percent fuel savings at highway speeds, the SuperTruck project will allow us to exceed those aerodynamic efficiency gains by contributing to a ground-up re-design of truck-trailer combinations.”

Aerodynamics will be a primary component of the five-year SuperTruck project. At highway speeds, aerodynamic drag accounts for as much as two-thirds of the fuel consumed by Class 8 trucks. Because aerodynamic drag directly affects the level of power required to move a vehicle at the wheels, aerodynamic improvements will leverage the thermal-efficiency gains, powertrain

hybridization and other upstream enhancements that are targeted as part of the project.

Prior to SuperTruck, innovations in trailer aerodynamics have typically been pursued in isolation from truck design.

“A discontinuous leap in the efficiency of the freight transportation industry will require close collaboration between OEM manufacturers, new technology providers and fleets,” said Smith.

“We are intent on seizing this opportunity to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and enhance U.S. energy security.”

ATDynamics’ current line of U.S. EPA SmartWay-verified aerodynamic technologies includes the ATDynamics-Transtex Skirt, demonstrated to improve highway fuel efficiency by 7.35 percent, and the TrailerTail, which yields gains of 5.1 percent based on SAE J1321 testing.